The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7211 p206
17 August 2002

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Linoleic acid may protect against ischaemic stroke

Linoleic acid may protect against ischaemic stroke, a Japanese study has suggested (Stroke 2002;33;2086).

Researchers conducting a prospective case-control study identified 197 Japanese people aged 40–85 years who had suffered haemorrhagic or ischaemic stroke (75 and 122 individuals, respectively), and matched three controls with each case. Analysis of blood samples from these individuals revealed that those who had suffered a stroke had lower serum concentrations of linoleic and arachidonic acids, compared with controls. In addition, they had higher concentrations of saturated and mono-saturated fatty acids in their serum than those in the control group.

After adjusting for hypertension, diabetes, serum total cholesterol and other cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers calculated that a five per cent increase in serum linoleic acid concentration could decrease an individual's risk of ischaemic stroke by a third (34 per cent) and haemorrhagic stroke by a fifth (19 per cent). Conversely, they found that a 4 per cent increase in serum saturated fatty acid concentration increased an individual's risk of stroke by about the same amount — 35 per cent for ischaemic stroke and 21 per cent for haemorrhagic stroke.

They conclude that a higher intake of linoleic acid may protect against ischaemic stroke in particular, possibly by decreasing blood pressure and platelet aggregation, and by enhancing deformability of erythrocytes.